Fall of an empire
by sonicmeans speed
Summary: "What happened to you, Sonic?" He looked at her coldly "Please, answer." She pleaded, desperate for an answer. "What happened to the sonic i knew and loved?" "He died three years ago."
1. Chapter 1

The fall of the empire.

Prologue.

"People…they can be either be the biggest blessing of your life, or they can be your burden." Sonic stood on the mountain top overlooking robotropolis. He closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, in the city's tallest building, Shadow sat on a cushion and waited. His emotional-manipulating grenades in hand and on chest. Fury will destroy.

"They can make you into a legend, or turn you into a sideshow freak. They can tend to your wounds, or make them worse than they already were." Sonic looked at one of his cybernetic hands. He clenched it into a hard fist.

Manic hid in one of the city slums and kept his watch for the signal. He placed several modified emotion-manipulating smoke bombs. Strife will overtake.

"They are capable of creating empires, only for others to come in a millennia or two later and leave only memory and legacy behind." His robotic eye took checkpoints. They were in position.

Knuckles waited in the sewer, being careful as to not be seen. He placed bombs under the streets before jumping out of a manhole. War will bring forward chaos.

"The romans built an empire greater than any before it. It was brought to its knee's by Carthage. The Germanic tribes laid waste to three legions. The Huns swept through the empire, leaving a trail of blood and destruction in its wake." Sonic crossed his arms and closed his eyes again.

Tails hid in a robotic factory, looking out the window for the city with a bomb in hand. He tossed it on one of the bigger machines and left the building. Plague will take its toll.

"People lie, cheat, steal, kill until they get what they want, and feel no remorse for what they do. Cain killed his brother Abel in cold blood because his sacrifice wasn't accepted by god. "

Silver floated invisibly over a busy street. He waited for the signal. Famine will shatter all sanity.

"They don't care about anyone else. But only these people. This is Nineveh reincarnated. Well, Rome conquered before. But we are not roman." His hand transformed into a laser cannon. He took aim.

"We are the horsemen of apocalypse." He fired. The others set off their explosives. Panic, death and destruction ensued as the five already in the city began to slaughter the civilians. Sonic walked down from the mountain and headed for the city. He grabbed the scythe from his back. Death will conquer all.


	2. Chapter 2

FALL of empire 2

 **Everyone is a human in this story. Just FYI. Oh, and Equestria is way more advanced.**

Rainbow dash sat in a briefing room. She crossed her arms, got out her iPhone and went online after checking her text. Sitting on her left side was AJ, who was picking her teeth. On her right was Rarity, who was doing her nails. To the left of AJ was Pinkie, who was bouncing in her seat. To the right of rarity was Fluttershy, who was drawing. Twilight was in front of them, sleeping. But none of the other five knew that.

"Hey, twilight?" Rainbow asked without looking up from her phone. No answer. Dash waited for about five seconds. She looked up from her phone. "Twilight?" Still no answer. Rainbow growled with frustration. "Oh, for-TWILIGHT!"

Twilight bolted up. "Huh? Wha? Wha' happen'?" Then she settled down and stretched.

"How much longer 'till they get there?" Rainbow asked.

"Hell if I know." Twilight yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Would ya quit complaining, dashie? They'll be here soon." AJ said while keeping her attention on the toothpick.

Before dash could reply, the door opened, and the royal sisters walked in.

"Hello, twilight. I trust you and your friends had a safe journey?" Princess Celestia asked with a smile.

"Yes, Princess." Twilight hugged the princess of the sun.

"Forgive my anxiousness, princess, but, why did you ask for us?" Rarity asked.

Celestia and Luna exchanged glances.

"Uh, well…you might want to see for yourself." Celestia picked up a remote and turned on the big TV. She then pulled out a blank DVD and put it in the TV. Robotnick's face showed up on the screen.

"What does he want?" Rainbow growled angrily. She didn't like robotnick for quite few reasons. Mainly, because she thought he was behind sonic's disappearances.

"We got a message from him about 3 weeks ago. It was…well, look for yourself." Celestia pressed the play button.

"Celestia! Luna! Can you hear me through this thing? If this thing isn't working either, I fucking swear, I will-oh, thank god." The doctor stepped back. His appearance was alarming. Eggman looked more like Dr. Bacon. "Look, I know that you don't trust me, but this was my only option. My latest experiments turned on me and went rouge. They've been attacking nonstop for the past month. The city is destroyed. Innocent people in the street are dead. There are toddlers in the street missing heads. It was a bloodbath. On the special features of this DVD, you will get the stats of the six figures. I normally wouldn't do this, but I need your help." Suddenly, there was a bang in the background. The scientist's eyes went wide. "Oh, no. They're here."

There was another boom in the distance. The screen went static. There was suddenly a voice in the background. "Robotnick." Then the screen went out, but his scream was still heard.

The six looked at each other.

"Well, let's see the stats." Twilight said.

Celestia nodded." But before we watch it, this is your mission: Pick a horseman, find out everything you can, and if you need to, bring them in. Understood?"

The mane six nodded.

Celestia hit the special features icon. An electronic grid showed up and Robotnick's was heard in the background. "Statistics for my horsemen of apocalypse." The first figure showed up on the screen. During the video, it showed the figures doing multiple acts of combat and other things.

1st horseman:

Name: Fury

Height: 6'1"

Age: 17

Weight: 205 lbs.

Weapons: Plasma whip, twin SMG's

Powers: Teleportation, energy manipulation, strength, speed, heightened senses.

Fire alchemist.

Eye color: Yellow

Hair color: Black with yellow stripes

Attire: Black muscle shirt, yellow sports pants, black tennis shoes with yellow stripes, black/yellow assassins creed hoodie, black biker bandana.

Side notes: Remorseless, cruel when need be.

Danger level: 8/10

"Who'll take this one?"

The mane six all looked at one another until Fluttershy spoke up.

"I'll take him."

The others looked at her in confusion, but then shrugged and continued watching.

2nd horsemen:

Name: Strife

Age: 16

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 245 lbs.

Weapons: Chain whips, AK-47

earth alchemist

Powers: Control of earth, master thief, strength, heightened senses.

Eye color: neon green

Hair color: Neon green

Attire: Black combat boots, black fingerless gloves, biker bandana, black/ green assassin's creed hoodie, black muscle shirt, green sports pants

Side notes: can be a tad greedy. Kleptomaniac issue.

Danger level: 7/10

"OHH! ME! ME!"

The princess continued the video to end pinkie's yelling.

3rd horseman:

Name: War

Age: 17

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 305 lbs.

Weapons: His fist-claws

strength alchemist

Powers: Strength multiplied by a thousand fold, heightened senses

Eye color: Purple

Hair color: Red

Attire: Red muscle shirt, purple sports pants, no shoes, purple assassin's creed hoodie.

Side notes: Anger issues

Danger level: 8/10

"Ah'll take 'im."

4th horseman:

Name: Famine

Age: 15

Weight: 185 lbs.

Height: 5'9"

water alchemist

Weapons: His mind, pus his multiple firearms.

Powers: incredible intellect, technology, hacking

Eye color: grey

Hair color: tan

Attire: Tan muscle shirt, grey sports pants, grey tennis shoes, grey assassins creed hoodie.

Danger level: 8/10

Note: Extremely intelligent. IQ is 5 times that of a normal human

"I'll take him." Twilight shrugged.

5th horseman:

Name: Plague

Age: 17

Weight: 205 lbs.

Height: 6'1"

Weapons: trident, bow and arrow

Powers: Telepathy and telekinesis.

Eye color: orange

wind alchemist

Hair color: white

Attire: White sports pants, orange muscle shirt, orange/white assassin's creed hoodie, and orange tennis shoes.

Side note: Can move anything.

Danger level: 7.5/10

"I'll take that one." Rarity said.

"I guess that leaves me with the last one." Rainbow shrugged.

6th horseman:

Name: Death

Age: 17

Weight: 205 lbs.

Height: 6'2"

Weapons: Scythe-sword, his cybernetic arm and eye.

Fullmetal and Crystal alchemist

Powers: Super speed, robotic limbs can become any weapon, control over fire and lightning, super strength, robotic eye is capable of 50 different types of vision.

Eye color: red

Hair color: cobalt blue

Attire: Black muscle shirt, red sports pants, red and black tennis shoes, red and black assassins creed hoodie

Side notes: slightly insane, though only a little. Blood lust. Very deadly.

"This doesn't sound so bad." Dash looked at her friends.

"Look at the danger level, dashie." Twilight pointed at the screen.

Danger level: 10/10

"Aw, crap."

"How long have you had that disc, Princess?" Twilight asked

Celestia looked at Luna. "A week ago."

"What's happened since then involving the figures?"

"Well...we found robotnicks corpse four days ago." Dash's eyes widened.

"What?"


	3. Chapter 3

FAE3

The mane six were hanging out in twilight's castle, trying to find any info on the "horsemen."

"Anything yet?" Twilight asked.

"That's the problem. There's too much info. It would take us a whole freaking year to follow all these leads." Dash groaned.

"If we could just narrow it down…that could make it easier." Fluttershy said.

Spike walked in. "Hot cocoa? You look like you need it. You've been up all night."

AJ looked at a clock on the wall. It was 3 in the morning. "Jeez. We've been working longer then ah thought."

Twilight took a mug. "Thanks, Spike."

"Hey, spike?"

Spike turned to Dash. "What?"

"Do you have any ideas on how to narrow the search down?" RD stretched and yawned. She then took a mug of cocoa.

"Well…" Spike thought for a minute. "… I would look for the earliest reports of the horsemen. Then I would cross reference the reports with the DVD's stats. Then I would ask celestia if she add anything else on them, add cross reference that with the info already gathered. Then, I would work from there, using the info on what they've done before and use it to predict what they'll do next."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Twilight muttered.

"Thanks spike. Can you send a letter to celestia?"

"Sure. Call for me if you need anything else." Spike walked out.

'Oh, and Spike?"

Spike looked back through the doorway. "Yeah?"

"Ask celestia for some better tech. We're gonna need a world map." Twilight said.

"Didn't I mention when you got the Laptops that they came with that stuff?"

"No. They do?"

"Yeah. She said it was easy to figure out. Just type the element name you embody while you're in the desktop."

"Thanks, spike." RD said.

"I'm gonna go write that letter."

 **Four hours later.**

"I got something!" Pinkie whooped.

"Wait, seriously?" Dash asked.

"Yep!"

"How?" Twilight asked.

"I did what spike suggested, but then I compared the voices, physical records, and so on, to everyone. We have six matches with full bios, not just what Robotnick's files had!"

The others looked at her.

"What?" Pinkie asked.

"How'd you-? You know what, forget it." Fluttershy said

"Who are they?" RD asked

"I'll send you an email with the record for the horseman we each chose." Pinkie said.

"Let's each go to a separate room so we won't have distractions." Rarity said.

The others agreed and walked into separate rooms, except for Dashie, who stayed in the main room.

Dashie opened the email and clicked the link. The grid showed up, and Robotnick's voice could be heard in the background.

6th Horseman: Death

"Yeah, yeah, I've already seen it." Dash skipped the physical data and went straight to the bio.

Real name:

Suddenly, the screen froze.

"Oh, come on!" Dash yelled. The screen unfroze, and words began appearing.

You aren't allowed to see that.

"Very funny, Pinkie!"

"That wasn't me! I swear that had been the actual file!"

Good night.

The computers suddenly shut down.

"Well, that's just great! We had a lead, and then some hacker screws it up and shuts down our laptops!" Dash said sarcastically.

"These computers were supposed to be unhackable. Who could have hacked it?" Rarity asked

"We don't know anyone that smart." Twilight said

"Did ya forget, twilight? That horseman you looking into-Famine?-has an IQ five times that of a normal person." AJ said.

"He'd either have to have a _really_ long-range hacking system, or he'd have to be very close…" Twilight's voice trailed off as she let the thought sink in. She looked at the others. They immediately ran to any openings.

"Anything?"

"Nothing."

"Not here."

"I can't even see out there. Luna must be taking the night off."

The group walked back into the main room. Spike walked in, carry 6 to 7 flat, steaming boxes.

"What are in the boxes, Spike?"

"Ya'll have been up, so I figured you'd be hungry. I got each of you your own individual pizzas."

The girls immediately grabbed the pizzas and began chowing down.

"I knew you were hungry, but if you keep eating like that, it's gonna come back up. I don't want to clean _that_ up." Spike said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, okay." Das said, rolling her eyes.

"What were you guys looking out the windows for?" Spike asked.

"Our laptops got hacked, and we were seeing if the hacker was close by. But we didn't see anyone."

Unbeknownst to them, six figures were in the Everfree forest, about 300 yards away, with a fire blazing, and meat roasting watching. The figure in front switched his left eyes vision from telescopic back to normal.

"Ready to engage. Should we go ahead?" A figure sitting on a tree stump asked. He was feeding the fire with some logs, using a spit to roast the meat, making sure it didn't burn.

"No. For now, we wait. It's not time yet."

"When will it be time?" Another figure asked. He was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, and foot tapping impatiently.

"When it's appropriate for them to know who we really are. The time will come."

"So what now?" A figure laying down on a tree branch asked.

"We pack up, scatter, pull out, and meet at the next target." The figures nose smelled the now finished steak. "But first, we eat."

The six figures ate all the meat quickly. Then, five of them disappeared in the darkness of the forest. The six one, the one who had been watching them, looked back in the direction of Twilight's castle.

"Death will attack the ones who deserve it, but will defend itself from those who attack. Please don't force my hand." The figure clenched his fist and closed his eyes. "I don't want to kill you, dashie. You and your friends are the only other things I have left." With that, he plunged into the darkness, leaving the fire blazing in the dark forest.


	4. Chapter 4

FAE 4

The horsemen revealed.

After three or four hours of waiting, the girl's laptops finally came back on.

"It took forever for them to come back on." Dash grumbled.

"Okay, let's see what we got." Twilight said.

The grids were once again pulled up, but it immediately skipped through the already known parts.

"Well, now let's see the good stuff." Dash said.

The grids then transformed into a video blog. Dr. Robotnick was on the screen.

"Testing: Day one."

The next few hours were spent on videos of the horsemen training. Not one image showed their faces.

"We've spent three hours on this, and not once have we seen their faces! This is getting stupid!" Twilight said, putting her hands on her temple. "Why is it so hard to get a face shot?!"

"Why not just track them? When we bring them in, they'll have to take off their hoods." Rarity said

Right then, as if answering her question, Twilights laptop started beeping. She clicked the icon on the screen.

"Found them!" She whooped

"Where are they?" Dash asked.

"In the…everfree forest?" Twilight said.

"That hacker _was_ close! They're in our backyard! Come on!" Pinkie said.

"Wait. They've spread out, and they're moving at like 200 mph."

"How are they moving that fast?" Fluttershy asked.

"Who cares? Twilight can just teleport us so I can dropkick one of 'em." Dash said.

The six teleported away. They ended up right in front of the six one-Death.

Death stopped short and looked at them silently.

"Aw, yeah. Let's get started!" Dash sped towards him.

"Dash, wait!" Twilight said.

Dash suddenly saw something flash across the clearing. She flew into it at full force, effectively catapulting her into Pinkie, sending the both of them 50 feet behind the rest of the six into a tree. The tree, pinkie and dash hit the ground.

"OW! What the hell?!" dash said. Another figure now stood next to Death-Strife, twirling chains in his hands.

The ground suddenly started to shake under AJ. She looked down-just in time to see the fist connecting to her face. She went into the air, as did the figure the fist belonged to. The figure rotated 180 degrees and kicked her in the stomach, sending her to the ground, skidding about 20 yards, leaving an imprint.

Yet another figure stood next to Death now-War, popping his fist.

Suddenly, plasma appeared around fluttershy's neck. She gagged, trying to pull the plasma off her throat. The plasma suddenly went straight p, sending Fluttershy headfirst into a branch. The plasma loosened, and Fluttershy fell to the ground. She didn't move.

Another horsemen stood near Death-Fury, holding his whip casually around his neck.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed. She ran over to her and checked the pulse. She was just knocked out. Suddenly, something hit the side of her face, leaving a bruise. Twilight looked at it. It was a lightning grenade. Twilight's eyes widened just before the current flowed through her body, shocking her. She was temporarily immobilized.

Yet another figure stood near Death-Famine, holding a small plasma launcher.

Rarity looked at the figures. She got into a fighting stance. Suddenly, a bright green glow formed around her. She looked at herself in disbelief before suddenly she was pulled through the ground up to her waist.

"Oh, come on! This is a new outfit!" She yelled. Suddenly, her head slammed on the ground, knocking her unconscious.

One last figure stood near Death-Plague, his fist glowing bright green.

The six figures stood in the clearing. Death walked towards Dash. He turned to the other figures and nodded. The disappeared. Death turned back towards Dash, who was looking at him fiercely.

"Rainbow Dash. One of the fastest people ever. I have to say, you haven't changed much." Death said, crouching down to get a better look at her. Dash looked at him in confusion.

"You know me?" She asked. Death chuckled.

"I guess I've changed some. It _has_ been a few years." The figure stood back up.

"Who are you?" Dash asked. Death smirked.

"Ah. That's the big question, isn't it? _Who is this mysterious figure whom people call Death?"_ He smirked.

"Answer the question." Dash said, irritated. She hadn't seen anyone who fought so much but had such a laid back attitude since…Dash's eyes widened.

"Sonic?"

"I knew you would figure it out." Sonic said, flipping of his hood. The robotic eye was surprisingly camouflaged. The only way you could tell it was robotic was it was an ice blue while the other was blood red.

"How did this happen. Who did this to you?" Dash asked. Sonic's face hardened.

"Celestia and Luna fund his corpse a week ago." Sonic's face softened again. "Don't worry about me dash."

"It's hard not to. I haven't seen you for 3 years." She said.

"I know. I'm glad to see you again." Sonic's ears twitched. "I'm sorry. Have to go. I'll see you later. And try not to tell anyone until I give the go ahead, okay?" Sonic bended over and kissed dash's forehead.

"See you around." With that, he sped off.

Dash looked off after him. She suddenly felt woozy. she shook her head then looked around. "What the-What just happened?"

The others began to stir.

"Ugh, my head. What th-AHHHH! My new suit!" Rarity screamed.

"What happened, Dashie?" AJ asked while she pulled rarity out of the ground.

"I don't know, AJ. Let's head back to base."

Sonic watched them as they teleported away. It had been necessary to filter in the amnesia mist she had inhaled when she hit the chains. She wouldn't remember the fact that he was death.

"Sorry, Dash. It was necessary. I must follow his orders. My masters on your side, but he still holds grudges about what my mother and her sister did to him. I let you find out again, and when that happens, you won't forget it. I promise." He disappeared into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Fae 5

The others soon returned to Twilights Castle. Pinkie was rubbing her head, Rarity was washing the dress savagely, and AJ was rubbing her Jaw.

"That was…unexpected." Fluttershy said, rubbing her sore neck.

"Well, at least we actually met them. Though I use that term loosely." Twilight said.

Dash sat quietly.

"Dash? Is something wrong?" Twilights asked.

"Hm? Oh, uh, no. I'm fine." Dash said, snapping out of her thoughts.

The door opened. The CMC walked in. It was still a big deal to them that they finally found their cutie marks even if they had no idea what they meant.

"Hey, dash, did you hear about blueblood?" Scootaloo asked.

"No, what?"

"Blueblood was found tied up, gagged, bruised, and dirty in a roadside ditch." Sweetie Belle giggled. "You should have seen him. It was hilarious! He was using language that would make even the royal guards blush!"

The royal guards were known for their foul language.

'An' to top it all off, someone posted it online and got 7 million views in an hour. An hour! That's practically unheard aah'!" Applebloom added.

"Blueblood must have been really ticked off. Thankfully, he ain't gonna go after the assailants." Dash muttered.

"Now, you three run along. We have work to do." Rarity said.

"Alright, sis, see you later." Sweetie belle ran out, followed by Applebloom and Scootaloo. "C'mon, guys, let's see what Diamond Tiara's doing."

"Well, at least we finally got more info on the horsemen. I had Zecora place cameras all around the forest, so that should give us some analysis." Twilight said.

"What sort of analysis?" Fluttershy asked.

"Fighting styles, specialties, knowledge levels, strength levels, speed levels, things like that." Twilight replied.

"Well, let's see what we got." AJ said.

Twilight nodded, grabbed a flash drive, and plugged it into her laptop while the others gathered around. A grid appeared on the screen, but this time it wasn't Robotnick's voice. It was a voice none of the girls had ever heard before.

"Extra data for the horsemen of apocalypse."

"Wait, twilight, did you make an A.I?" Dash asked.

Before twilight could answer, someone spoke from another room. "I can answer that."

"The six turned.

Standing in the entrance were a group of people none of the six had never seen before. The girl who had spoken walked up. "I'm Sally Acorn, princess to the acorn kingdom. The A.I.'s name is Nicole. These are the freedom fighters."

Sally and twilight shook hands. "I've heard of you. You were the ones who stood up against Robotnick's original regime on another side of the everfree forest, or, as you call it, the great forest. So why are you here?" Twilight asked.

'We're old friends of Sonic." A figure with cybernetic limbs, a cowboy hat, vest, and boots walked up next to Sally. "Pleased to meet ya'll. Names Rabbot. Bunnie Rabbot. I'm the strength of the operation. One of 'em, anyway."

"Another southerner? You ever been to appleloosa?" AJ asked.

"Why, yeah. I have family in the city outskirts." Bunnie said.

"So do I. You ever met someone named braeburn?"

"We're practically siblings!"

Sally cleared her throat. The two looked at her.

"Oops. Sorry, sally-girl, got a little side-tracked."

"Oi, mademoiselle, you need to stop booing that." Another figure, wearing an Acorn kingdom royal guard outfit with a sword strapped to his back, grumbled.

"I think you mean _doing_ that, Ant." Another figure wearing a baseball cap and mechanics outfit said.

"Stop it, you two." A third figure said.

Sally scratched her head. "Where are my manners? Let me introduce these three. The first one is Antoine D'Coolette, the kingdoms best swordsman and head of my personal guard. Not that I need one."

Antoine bowed.

"The second one is rotor, our head weaponry expert as well as one of our head mechanics. You already know the other one."

Rotor tipped his cap.

"The third one is Sonia, Sister of Manic and Sonic."

Sonia waved.

"Who's the batgirl on the ceiling?" Dash asked

"That would be rouge, our expert thief."

Rouge winked

"Nice to meet all of you." Twilight said.

Dash looked at Sally. "Can you explain the A.I.?"

'That's Nicole, a friend of mine. My father gave her to me." Sally replied.

"So how do you know Sonic?" Rarity asked.

"He and I were…lovers at one point." Sally chuckled nervously, rubbed her head, and blushed.

"I remember that. People couldn't decide whether it was a scandal or not." Twilight muttered.

"Anyway, Nicole, continue playing gathered info." Sally said.

"Playing, Sally."

"Wait." Twilight grabbed the other flash drive and stuck it in her laptop. "Nicole, combine data from both flash drives, make 3d images, and play videos."

'Downloading."

"What are you doing, Twilight?" Sally asked.

"We've been missing data ever since we started investigating. This might be the last piece of our puzzle."

"Download complete. "

The six figure, life-size and in 3d, appeared in holograms around the group. The data was same as before, but there were added videos of how they fought. They were tested on live subjects. The names were still not revealed.

"Still no face shots." AJ muttered under her breath.

"You've been having the same problem? We were sent here because King Max and Princess Celestia thought we could work together and make a breakthrough on these horsemen." Rotor said.

'Well, looks like we'll have to keep working on it." Fluttershy said.

 **Meanwhile, in a region of the crystal empire.**

 _"Looks like we'll have to keep working on it."_ Fluttershy said through a hologram.

Sonic stopped the video. He and the others were bowing before a throne. The guards looked at each other nervously. These six were the most feared in that region. They were also very powerful. If they bowed to anyone, it was their king.

Button Mash, or, as he now said his name was, Crash, leaned on the wall near the door to the room, twirling a hatchet in his hand. He smirked while listening. Ponyville had been in an uproar when he had gone missing a few weeks before. He had left for the crystal empire because of his true bloodline. Milano Mash, his adopted mother, was an awesome parent, but you can't beat the real thing. He'd gotten rid of his beanie, because, honestly, it wasn't intimidating,

"You tampered with the data?" The figure sitting on the throne asked.

"Yes, father. Just enough to not give out our identities." Sonic said.

"Good. They can't know just yet."

"' I'm afraid Dash did find out, but we had coated Strife's chain with the amnesia gas famine had recently created. She forgot as soon as I left."

"Anything else?" The figure asked.

"As you just saw, father, the princesses have decided to work with the acorn kingdom to discover our identities."

"This is unexpected of them, but of little consequence. I don't want your mother or her sister to find out about me just yet."

"Yes, father." Sonic said.

"You, your brother, and your sister are children of the night and of crystal. You will eventually reunite the whole of Equestria and Mobius. When I reveal myself to them is when you will. I've long since repented. The time will come eventually."

"Yes, Father."

"You will be hailed as the bringers of peace and prosperity throughout the world. Don't forget your bloodline, and don't forget your heritage. You each are the maser alchemist. You in particular, Sonic. You are the fullmetal and crystal alchemist. Don't forget that. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good." The figure leaned forward. He had a curved horn with a blue tip on his forehead. He wore blue and grey armor. He had Blue eyes, light grey skin, and black hair. "Now go. You have work to do."

"Yes, King Sombra."

The six left the room. Crash glanced at Sonic and smirked. He walked up to Sombra and bowed.

"Hello, father."

"Crash. Have there been any new developments?"

"Snively and Chrysalis have met with tirek to try and form an alliance. They're practically begging for war."

"They'll get one soon enough. Then, they'll become lambs for the slaughter."

Crash smirked evilly. "The lambs will be slaughtered ,their blood shall water the soil, and you, my lord, will be hailed as the hero of the empire." Crash turned and walked away. "Then the blood of all who oppose will became a gushing stream. One that not even death could fathom, or stop."


	6. Chapter 6

Fae 6

Crash walked down a busy street in one of the changeling kingdom's lesser known cities. How he wasn't noticed wasn't in his mind. He had people to slaughter. But not yet. He was only here to preform espionage. Mission accomplished. He smirked as he walked out of the city. He held up a detonator in hand.

"All too easy." He pressed the button, and the city exploded. "You wanted a war, Chrysalis? I just gave you one."

As he walked away, heading for the woods, he heard something behind him. He turned around.

There was Chrysalis, holding one of her dead subjects. She howled in anguish, grieving over her dead children. Crash grinned evilly, then walked into the woods, disappearing into the shadows.

Back in Ponyville, the freedom fighters and the mane six were still searching through the data.

"Anything yet?" Rotor asked.

"Only as much as you got." Rarity replied.

Twilight's phone dinged. She picked it up. Celestia was video-calling them. She hooked her phone up to the T.V. and answered,

'Yes, Princess?"

'A section of the changeling kingdom was just attacked." Celestia said.

"What?!" Dash was shocked.

"It was blown completely off the map. One man did this."

"It wasn't the horsemen?"

"No, it was Button Mash!"

Twilight was socked. _Button Mash_ had done this?

"We have a visual." A picture of crash appeared on the screen.

The six looked at the screen. There was no doubt that was Button Mash, but he had changed tremendously. He had gone missing a few months back. There had been no trace, but it looked like he was working with the horsemen now. He stood next to a wall that had blood writing on it. The writing said, _my name is Crash._

"How many casualties?" Sally asked.

"Around 3,000."

"That's a lot pf dead changelings."

"Have you found anything?"

"We can't find names or histories. It's as if someone tampered with the data."

"Something's not right here." Celestia frowned. "Robotnick's files were the only ones that weren't tampered with, ironically enough. Who could be tampering with the data?"

"Well, at least we have someone. Button Mash-Crash-whatever he calls himself now, is possibly in league with the horsemen. But who is their master?" Sally said.

"We'll keep working on it, Princess." Twilight said.

"Good luck." The princess then hung up.

Unbeknownst to the group, Sonic sat next to a campfire at the opening of the woods, watching them. He sighed and set his eye-sight back to normal. Then he picked up his guitar and began strumming.

" _I hate, feeling like this. So tired, of trying to fight this. When I sleep, all I dream of, is waking into you."_

Sonic continued playing until he was finished. He then set down his guitar. It folded up until he could put it in his pocket. He looked at the group one last time before speeding off to meet up with the rest of his group in the ruins of robotropolis.

Twilight's computer beeped. "Found them!" She exclaimed.

"Where are they?" Sally asked.

"In the ruins of robotropolis."

"Well, then let's go!"

The group teleported to the ruined city. No-one had been left alive in the city, so it still looked like a warzone with corpses everywhere

"This is sickening." Sally said.

"Death described this place as Nineveh. It did resemble one, but that doesn't make up for this." Dash said.

Suddenly, a chain appeared around pinkie's leg. It threw her into a building.

"Pinkie!" Sonia ran to help her. A chain flew at her legs, but she flipped over them and helped pinkie to her feet.

Strife looked at the two of them. They both charged at him, and he retreated into an alley. The two ran after him.

War appeared under AJ, but she was ready this time. She dodged, and bunnie punched him, sending him flying into a building. The two ran after him.

Fury lashed his whip at Fluttershy, but Antoine deflected it with his sword. He then grabbed the whip, and pulled fury towards him, letting Fluttershy boot him in the face. Antoine swung his sword, but fury teleported away at the last moment. Fluttershy and Antoine ran after him.

Plague flew at twilight, but rotor grabbed him but the leg and swung him onto the ground. Plague rolled away and flew off. Rotor and twilight gave chase.

The green aura appeared around Rarity, but rouge snuck up behind Famine and spin-kicked famine in the neck, destroying his concentration, letting rarity dropkick him into a car. He retreated, letting the two diamond-lovers follow.

Sally and Rainbow dash watched in minor disbelief. The horsemen, it seemed, weren't used to dealing with groups made up off more fighters. But where was death?

"This is only a minor distraction." The two turned around. Death was leaning on a wall, smoking a cigar. The two got into a fighting position.

"Why do you insist on continually opposing us?" Death asked.

"You're killing innocents. We were tasked with bringing you in if necessary. We were also tasked with finding out who you are." Dash said.

"Innocents?" Death finally looked at the two. "These people were anything but innocent. We have not _once_ attacked someone who was innocent."

Dash frowned. That much was true, but…she shook her head. "That doesn't make up for the fact that you slaughtered civilians."

"We slaughtered cyborgs, freaks of nature. _Not_ people." Death was still someone staying calm. Dash and sally glanced at each other. "Celestia just wants to know whose side you're on. You're a possible threat."

Death chuckled. "Oh, we're on your side. But, my aunt and her sister have a right to be worried."

"Your aunt?" Dash frowned. Her eyes widened. "No. That's not possible."

"Oh, it is. Ask celestia and Luna about Sombra's children." He waved his hand. The horsemen disappeared.

"Sombra's children?" Dash frowned. "I thought that was a myth. A rumor."

"What happened, Dash?" Twilight asked.

"Teleport us back to Canterlot, Twilight." Dash growled. 'We need to talk to celestia and Luna."

Meanwhile, in celestia's castle, three figures stood before the throne.

"You understand your mission?" Celestia asked.

"Keep the peace." All three answered.

"Good. Now get going."

"Don't worry, ma'am." The center one grined. "We have never failed you before."

"That's why I trust you, my secret police. Now, go. You have a job to do."

"Yes ma'am." Said the CMC.


	7. Chapter 7

FAE 7

 **Now, some things in this chapter may shock you. You've been warned.**

The mane six and the freedom fighters walked into the throne room.

'Celestia! We need to-"Dash faltered when she saw Cadence.

"Cadence?" Twilight asked in disbelief. It had been forever since she had seen her sister-in-law and former babysitter.

"Hey, guys." Cadence said

"Celestia, can we please talk to you and Luna in private?" Dash asked

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. The guards left the room.

"Is something wrong? Is it about the horsemen?"

"Both. Remember the rumors that went around saying that Sombra had sired children?" Dash asked.

"Yes, I remember that. The rumor started in the crystal empire and spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom." Cadence said. It had taken forever to sort that out.

"Well, according to death, he's one of them." Twilight said.

"He said that it had been an unholy alliance between crystals and darkness." Sally said, looking at Luna.

Luna looked confused. "I have no memory of having children, Twilight."

"It's possible he could lying." Rotor said.

"Nah, a'h don' think so. They may have done a lot of things, but lyin' ain't one ah 'em." AJ said, leaning on a wall and chewing a toothpick.

Cadence got up. "Excuse me, Celestia, but I have to leave."

"Already? You just got here." Celestia.

"I'm sorry, but I have some things I need to take care of." Cadence smiled sadly.

"Alright. Visit again soon." Luna said.

"Don't worry, I will." Cadence walked out of the room, slipping a small camera on one of the walls.

As soon as Cadence left the castle, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The line ringed once then was answered.

"Report."

"They're in place." She smirked.

"Any new info?"

"Only the info you gave to Dash and Sally."

"Good job, sister. Come back to the palace." Sonic said.

"On my way." She hung up and began walking to the exit.

"Excuse me, Princess, but I have to search you. Customary." A guard said.

"Oh, that's okay." Cadence smiled and shrugged. The guard's eyes glazed over.

"You never saw me." Cadence said.

"I never saw you." The guard repeated.

Cadence walked away. She loved messing with people's minds.

Sonic turned in his seat to the multiple screens and began watching the live feed from the camera's in the throne room.

"This whole thing has been one freaking roller coaster." Dash said, exasperated. "First it was the horsemen, then Button Mash-Crash-whatever he calls himself, and now top it all off, Sombra's been added to the mix! What could be next?!"

"Us." The mane six and the freedom fighters turned around. The CMC stood in the doorway, holding/carrying weapons. "Permission to enter, ma'am?"

Sonic's eyes narrowed. The CMC, heads of celestia's secret police? This was unexpected.

"Granted." The CMC walked to the two sisters and bowed.

"We've sent our officers to all corners of equestria, just as you ordered." Scootaloo said. She had a grenade launcher on her back and two Uzi's in her belt. Because of the fact that her organic wings had made her unable to fly, Celestia had decided to give her mechanical ones, which enabled her to fly. "We kept the movement secret, as to not cause alarm among the civilians."

"We then spread the info about your decision to temporarily close your school." Applebloom added. She carried a flick-action shotgun on her back and two colt magnum's on her belt.

"We also took back up to search for Crash, as you asked us to." Sweetie belle said. Sonic frowned when he heard her voice crack when saying Crash's name. She carried an AK-47 and had two desert eagles on her sides.

"Good. That is all." The CMC got up and left the room. The mane six had been too shocked to speak.

"Twilight, you and you're friends, go to the crystal empire. Wait for the horsemen at the border before they start a war." Celestia said.

Sonic's eyes widened. His fist clenched tightly.

"Yes, princess. They won't get past us." Twilight said. The mane six and the freedom fighters left.

Sonic roared and punched the screen, shattering it. "I told them we weren't the enemy." He growled to himself. He then roared at two of the guards standing at the door off the room. 'Find the other horsemen and tell them to meet me here. Then tell the king that I need to talk to him. NOW!"

The soldiers ran off to follow his orders. Sonic looked at the working screens. "Computer, call my agents in Equestria, then show them on screen."

The agents faces showed up. "yes sir?" One of them asked.

"Change in plans. Celestia believes we're trying to start a war. Soarin, You make sure that the Wonderbolts stay out of this. I don't want to worry about Celestia sending out her Kamikaze's. Flash Century, make sure that the royal guard stays at the palace. My sister will convince shinning armor for you. Vinyl scratch, Octavia, Dr. Hooves, Derpy, Lyra, Bon-Boon, and Berry Punch, you make sure this stays quiet. I don't need the civilian population hearing about this. Understood?"

"You got it boss." Vinyl said.

"Good. Dismissed." The screen changed back to the live feed from the throne room. Sonic scowled. "I give you credit, mother. You tried to forget us, and maybe you succeeded. But death will refresh your memory. Then maybe you can tell _mi Tia_ about your children." He walked out of the room.

Tails was in a laboratory. A political prisoner was tied to a chair. Tails held up a needle and smirked. "Let's see what _this_ does."

A soldier knocked on the door. Tails turned. " _What?"_ He snarled.

"Sir, Sonic requested for you to meet him at the palace." The soldier said.

Tails grumbled. "I'm on my way." He turned to the prisoner and broke his neck. He then walked out of the room.

Silver was in the senate house, listening to the debate.

A soldier walked to him and whispered in his ear. "Death requested you meet him at the palace."

Silver nodded. He then banged the desk with one of his fist. "The meeting will be on hold for now." He then walked out of the room.

Knuckles, Manic, and Shadow were in a meeting, listening to monthly reports, when a soldier walked in.

"Death wants you at the castle now."

The three nodded. "This will have continue another time." Shadow said. Then, they walked out.

The group meted at the base. Sonic was in front of the door that led to the main chamber, waiting for them.

"What's going on, Sonic?" Shadow asked.

'You'll find out in side." Sonic barged through the door.

Sombra looked up. Cadence and Crash, who'd been filling him in with info, jumped away, startled.

"What is going on, Sonic?" Sombra asked.

"Celestia believes we're trying to declare war." Sonic growled.


	8. Chapter 8

Sombra looked at sonic.

"My son, don't you think you might be overexager-"

"No! Celestia has sent the mane six _and_ the freedom fighters to the edge of our border, just in case we decide Canterlot would be a nice place to invade and destroy next! I told them we were not the enemy." Sonic roared, slamming his fist into a pillar, leaving a sizeable crack in it.

"Yes, but you also haven't given them reason to believe it." Sombra folded his hands in front of his face and closed his eyes in thought. "This is unexpected, and consequential, beyond a doubt."

Sonic's eyes narrowed. "One word and I could easily triple the man power needed."

"No need." Sombra turned to the wall behind him, made up entirely of TV screens, with a wave of his hand. "You get yourselves ready. Special ops mission 2341597. You deal with this. Don't kill, unless others try to kill you."

Sonic nodded and walked off, followed by the other horsemen. Cadence and Crash looked at Sombra.

"Are you sure that's the best idea, Father?" Cadence asked.

"They can handle this. They'll be fine."

Sonic and the others walked into their private armory. "You know the drill. Kill people who try to kill you, otherwise, play the diplomats." Sonic said, while grabbing two Black Rhino DS60's and an AK-47. "Now, get ready."

The others set to work, grabbing weapons they saw fit to take, along with their ordinary weapons. Knuckles took a minigun and 2 western colts. Shadow took two silenced Uzi's and a Rosenberg pump-action shotgun. Tails grabbed a sniper rifle and two desert eagles. Silver grabbed an anti-tank rifle and a German lueger. Silver, being the ever so quiet figure, grabbed a grenade launcher.

"Ready?" Sonic asked.

The others nodded. Without so much as a word, the group headed out of the castle and sped toward the border.

The mane six and the freedom fighters waited at the border, along with a sizeable battalion of the royal army.

"Why do we need to just sit here? We should be doing reconnaissance or something." Dash grumbled.

"Darling, the princesses said to wait at the border. I, for one, won't disobey their orders." Rarity said.

Something flashed in the distance, catching dash's eye.

"Commander." She said. "Take about a fourth of your troops and go check that out. Report if you find anything,"

The commander nodded and took his group. They walked out to the clearing, out of sight of the rest of the group. The commander saw movement out of the corner of his eye, pulled out his pistol, and fired. The movement stopped.

"Commander, is everything alright?" Dash asked through the comlink

"We're good here. Thought I saw something but it must of-hold on." The commander squinted in the distance. There was a sudden bright flash, and a soldier next to him suddenly jerked back, and blood flew out of his chest.

"Shit! Man down. We're under sniper fire!" The commander said.

"Pull out of there, captain!" Twilight said, eyes growing wide. There was a _sniper_? Must've been border control. When the _hell_ did the crystal empire have a border patrol?

Tails sat on a ledge high in one of the mountains. He emptied the camber and reloaded. He then fired again, this time hitting a soldier in the head. "Targets are engaging in combat."

Silver leaned out from behind a rock and shot a grenade at the back of the battalion, sending soldiers flying. The remaining soldiers opened fire.

"We have a sniper in front of us and a grenadier behind us! This is a fucking war zone!" The commander shouted.

"Pull out of there, captain." Dash said.

Suddenly, the comlink went static. The others remaining at the base could hear what was happening over the border, but the soldiers over there couldn't hear them.

Six figures emerged from the rocks and surrounded what was left of the group. Death stood at the head, arms crossed.

"What business do you have in the crystal empire?" He asked.

"I don't have to tell you. You're not my boss." The commander spat.

Death sighed and flicked his hand. The guard's weapons shifted, binding the soldiers. Then, black crystals shot out of the ground, impaling 15 soldiers.

"I'll ask again, commander. What business do you have in the crystal empire?" Death asked once again.

"I'm. Not. Saying." The commander spat.

Suddenly, the commander's battalion erupted. The six figures hands twitched. Some soldiers suddenly caught on fire, some had blood just erupt from there chest, some suddenly couldn't breathe, some were impaled by rocks, some had their bones just crumbled to dust, as If every ounce of gravity was clinging on to them, and still others were stabbed by metal and crystal.

The commander looked around him. He alone was still standing. Death walked up to him. "I'll ask one more time, Commander." Death said, pulling out one of his pistols. "Why are you here?"

"I'm not telling." The commander said.

Death sighed. "Your funeral." He aimed his pistol at the commander's head and fired.

The freedom fighters and the mane six rushed to the sight where they heard the bullet shot. The sight there was sickening.

Fluttershy began crying. Antoine and Bunnie tried to comfort her.

"Looks like they had no intention of invading us. This wouldn't have happened if we hadn't come here." Twilight said.

"Commander, Call celestia's castle. Tell them that the crystal empire has closed its borders. Then head back." Dash said. She then looked back at the sight. 22 soldiers, lined in a row, impaled, and the phrase, written in blood: _THE BORDERS ARE OFF LIMITS._ Her fist trembled. She looked at the others. They nodded. The group sped off across the border.

"Message sent." Sonic said through the comlink. "The Battalion is leaving the border."

"What about the mane six and the freedom fighters?." Sombra asked.

"I don't see them." Sonic replied.

"They're right behind you."

The six turned around to see the two groups standing before them. Before sonic could speak, the six were suddenly forced down by magic, fueled by anger.

Twilight and Rarity held up their hands, forcing the Six horsemen down.

"I'll ask this _once."_ Dash growled angrily. "Who are you?"

"Tell them now." Sombra said.

'Oh, you haven't figured it out yet?" Sonic asked smirking.

"You know what, fine. Twilight, force of the hoods."

The hoods flipped of. The two groups stared in shock.

Sonic smirked at them, his lightning blue robotic eye taking everything in. "Welcome to the reunion."


	9. Chapter 9

Fae 9

The group stared in shock as sonic smirked at them.

"Sonic?" Dash whimpered.

"Oh, come on. Who else could it have been?" Sonic said, smirking. His robotic eye changed vision type. "Your heart rates are up about 19 beats. It's that surprising?"

The groups stood in shock while the other horsemen's hoods where removed.

"This is not possible. This is a joke, right?" Sally asked.

"Oh, don't you wish." Tails said.

"We're taking you back to the castle." Twilight said, turning away.

"Feel free. It's of no consequence." Knuckles said, relaxing.

The group teleported to the castle. Celestia, Luna, The CMC and Cadence looked up in surprise.

"Twilight, what-"

Celestia then noticed the six figures being held down by magic. "You found them?"

Twilight nodded. "Look at them closely."

Celestia looked at the one in front. Her eyes widened. "Sonic?"

Sonic smirked. "Hello, Celestia _._ Long time no see. _"_

" _You_ have been the ones who've been slaughtering innocents?" Luna asked.

"They were not innocents." Shadow said.

"Why? Why have you been doing this?" Celestia asked.

"We're simply obeying our Kings orders." Manic said, smirking slyly.

"Your king?" Luna asked, confused.

"You know him, Luna." Tails said.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Celestia asked

The CMC readied their weapons. Sonic remained silent.

"Answer the question." Sweetie belle said, pointing her weapon at Sonic.

Sonic glanced up at Cadence and slightly nodded. He then bean speaking in an Irish accent.

" _'Tis no time te discourse, so_ Sis, _sa 'me."_

Celestia and Luna looked at each other in confusion. Cadence suddenly pulled out a Berretta and pointed it at Celestia.

"One move, and I will put a bullet through your stomach." Cadence said, grinning evilly.

"Cadence, what-"

"I'm helping my brother, plain and simple." Sonic continued speaking.

" _The day is hot, and the weather, and the wars, and the king, and the dukes: 'tis no time te discourse."_

Silver held up his hands. Green energy surrounded the royal guards, pinning them to the wall.

 _"The town is beseeched, and the trumpet calls us to the breach. And we talk, and be Chrish, say nothin'."_

Shadow and Manic quickly took all the weapons from the royal guard.

 _"'Tis shame, by my hand, tis shame for us all."_

Crash walked up behind the CMC and shocked them with electrical grenades, temporarily paralyzing them from the shoulders down. Sweetie belle looked at him. "Button mash?"

Crash smirked. "Hey, sweetie belle. But, my name is Crash."

" _And there are throats to be cut, and work to be done. There is nothin' done, so Chrish, sa 'me, la!"_

Sonic stood up. "Sombra wanted us to give you a message. We're on your side, but he still is uneasy, after what you did to him. Can't say I blame him."

"We did what we had to do. He forced our hands." Luna said.

"That doesn't make it any less painful." Sonic said. The doors burst open, and members of the secret police charged in, forming a circle around Sonic.

"Stand down. Put your hands behind your head!" One of them said. Sonic quickly took a head count and searched each of them. There were about six. None of them where carrying firearms. They carried batons. Sonic smirked. "This'll be fun."

One of the figures behind him suddenly charged and swung the baton. Sonic ducked, swung around, and sent his heel into the guy's ribcage before grabbing his arm and flipping him onto the floor. Another figure tried to punch him in the face, but Sonic grabbed his fist, kicked out the guy's legs, and placed his foot on the guy's stomach, pushing him to the floor/ slamming his foot on the guy's stomach. Two more ran at him at once, but Sonic elbowed one in the jaw, jumped/kicked off the guys chest, spun in midair, and roundhouse kicked the other one in the jaw before slamming the two's heads together. Another two moved slowly around him, taking in anything they could tell from Sonic's body stature. Sonic suddenly appeared beside one off them, punched him in the face, and threw him into the other one, sending both of them into a wall. They slumped to the floor. Sonic grinned with a slightly crazy look in his eyes. He ran towards the last two troops, vaulted over one of them, and forced his knee into one the members faces before hitting the floor. The last one jabbed at him with a spear, but Sonic sidestepped, grabbed the end of the spear, and pushed it down, sending the officer flying. The first officer was starting to get up by then, but Sonic twirled the spear over his head and whacked the guard in the face with the end of the spears' handle. Sonic dropped the spear and looked at the princesses.

"Have a good day. See you later."

With that, Sonic and the rest of his group walked out the door. No one tried to stop him.

When the group had left, Celestia and Luna looked at the mane six and the Freedom Fighters.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Celestia said.


	10. Chapter 10

FAE 10

 **This chapter will all be from Rainbow Dash's POV, Plus Celestia's.**

 _Dash's POV_

I look around me in the throne room. The Guards are tied up to pillars, the CMC are temporarily immobilized, other officers of the secret police are KO'd for the time being, the two sisters are whispering to each other, and the rest of us are trying to pull ourselves together.

It's all just happened so fast. If it hadn't been all at once, it wouldn't have been so overwhelming.

Sonic. My Sonic, the blue blur, the speed demon, the savior of both Mobius and equestria, is a horsemen. He was Death. Questions fly in my mind. How had this happened? Why is he doing this? What is the purpose? So many unanswered questions, I want to scream. When had he gone insane? Was he even insane? I just don't know what to believe any more. My emotions are so jumbled, I can't even think straight. There's joy that Sonic is still alive. Horror because of what he's done, shock and frustration because of the twist and turns that have come up since this started.

What happened to you, Sonic?

The princesses turn to us and beckon to us. We walk forward. Twilight looks at me worriedly. I don't blame her. I'm taking this very badly.

"Due to the recent…developments…" Celestia says.

"That's an understatement, your majesty." Rotor mutters.

"…we've decided we need to consider all our options."

"Meaning?" Fluttershy asks, confusion appearing on her face.

"We need to see if Sonic was being truthful about Sombra. Which means…" Celestia breaths in deeply.

Twilight looks at the rest of us. None of us seem to like where this is going.

"…we need to visit the Crystal Empire."

Everyone except me looks at the princesses in surprise.

"Are ya sure that's the best idea, princesses?" AJ asks.

"We want to see for ourselves if Sombra has really returned to the good side. The only way we can do that is by going to the empire."

"If that's your decision, we won't try to stop you." Twilight says.

"Also…"Luna says"…we have decided to reveal the seventh element."

"Seventh?" AJ asked. She looks at Twilight for clarification, but she seems just as confuse. "What is it?"

"Humility." Celestia says. "And we have just the person for it."

She turns to look behind her. "You may come out now."

The girl walks out. Fluttershy's jaw drops in surprise.

"Hey, guys." Says Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight manage to smile. "Hey, Sunset." She says weakly.

Celestia clears her throat. "Any way, Luna and I will head to the castle and see if what Sonic said is true. Meanwhile, you 13 will follow the horsemen and try to talk to them. We don't there to be any tensions between them and us."

"Alright, then." Twilight says.

"Good luck." Luna says. Then, the two sisters fly off.

Fluttershy looks at me. I haven't said a word since Sonic literally walked out of the building. The others look at me in concern.

Rarity begins to speak. "Dash, darling, are you alright?"

I remains silent.

"Dash?" Sunset asks.

"He wouldn't tell me. Why couldn't he at least tell me?" I mumble.

"Dash, look, I'm sure he had good reas-"

I roar and punch one of the pillars, leaving a crack in it. Fluttershy shrinks back. "Reasons, Twilight? Reasons?! He lied to me! Oh, wait let me guess, his father told him not to, huh?! The Sonic I knew never followed orders without questioning them! Now, all of a sudden, he's the perfect fucking toy soldier!" I scream.

I looks down, trying to blink out tears. Rarity walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Dash, darling, this is hard to take in for all of us. But, right now, we need to concentrate on finding them before we start asking questions. Pull yourself together, please."

I dry my eyes. "Alright. Where do we start?"

"I think I might know a place." Everyone turns and looks at Rouge.

"Really? Where?" I ask.

"Well, it's not so much the place as a specific person there herself." Rouge says.

Sally's eyes grow wide.

"Please tell me you're joking."

I look at her. "Who's she talking about?" I ask.

"Fiona Fox."

Sally rubs her head and groans.

"Who's Fiona Fox?" AJ asks

"She's an ex-freedom fighter. Turned traitor and ran off with one of our enemy's for a while before becoming a good guy again. She and Rouge co-own a bar." Bunnie explains.

"Then why aren't you anxious to talk to her?" Twilight asks

"Fiona's relationship with the freedom fighters is friendly, but tense. She's also…" Bunnie hesitates and looks at Sally. Sally nods.

"….She's also Sonic's ex." Bunnie finishes.

My eyes grow wide. This whole concept just completely changed.

"Why should we contact her then?" Rarity asks.

"She has friends all over that give her info on the big events. If anyone has any info on them, it's her." Rouge says

"And she's a freedom fighter, she just wasn't picked for the mission." Rotor adds.

"Anything else we need to know before we head out?" Twilight asks.

"If anyone tries to make a move on you, just punch 'em in the face."

 **Two hours later.**

We walk into the bar. A Fox looked up from the bar and did a half grin-half grimace.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Fiona." Rouge replies. "The bar looks like you've been taking care of the bar while I was gone."

"Hershey and Cream helped out." She turns to the rest of us. "What can I do for you?"

'We need info on Sonic and his group's whereabouts." I reply.

Fiona's eyes widen. "UM, well…most of them left 5 minutes ago."

"Most?" Sally asks.

"Yeah, Sonic stayed a little longer. He's here somewhere."

"We'll go look for him." The others walk off.

I sit down at the bar,

"You want something to drink?" Fiona asks.

"Glass of apple cider." I reply.

"Coming right up." Fiona walks off to find the cider.

"It's no use, you know?"

I glance at the guy sitting next to me. "Huh?"

"Your quest to find Sonic. He's not trying to hurt you, he's just keeping his distance."

"How did you-?"

"I overheard you talking to Fiona."

Fiona hands me a glass. I gulp some Cider down.

"Isn't that a bit too much alcohol for a girl lie you?"

I turn around. Here's a guy standing there, grinning like an idiot.

I roll my eyes and turn around.

"Ooh, quiet. I like that type of gal." He touches my hips. I push him away.

"Ooh, feisty. You'll be a nice partner." The pervert touches my chest.

I blush like crazy in embarrassment and kick him away. He hits his head on a post and slumps to the ground a little. He then growls and gets back up. "All right, that's it. Now I'm gonna-"

There's a bang that comes from behind me. Something whizzes past my head. The guy's eyes roll into his skull and he collapses to the floor. There's a bullet in his skull.

I turn around. Sonic stands before me, a smoking gun in his hand.

He holsters the gun and turns to Fiona. "Put the money on my tab."

He turns back to me. "What was it you wanted to talk to me and the guys about?"

 _Celestia POV._

Luna and I walk into the main chamber of the crystal empire's castle. The seat turns toward us.

"Sombra."

"Celestia. Luna." He gets up. "Come. We have things to discuss."


	11. Chapter 11

FAE 11

Celestia and Luna sat across Sombra in the dining room. Sombra ate lightly, preferring to wait for the main course to serve meat. Celestia and Luna picked at their food, but neither of them had an appetite for vegetables.

The CMC, including Diamond Tiara, stood at guard around the princesses

"So why have you come?" Sombra asked

"We came to see if what your… _son_ …said about you was true." Luna said.

"And what do you believe?"

"It's not hard to believe you've changed. It's just hard to see whether you're trying to help us or just following your own agenda."

Sombra laughed. "I'm doing both, my dear princesses. My kingdom and my family are my top priorities. And since The remainder of Robotnick's army, his generals, and the changelings are panning on negotiating a military alliance with tirek, my only option was to attack first. That's why robotropolis was attacked in the first place."

"You ordered the attack on robotropolis? "

"No. I sent them on a reconnaissance mission. They just got a little emotional."

"A little?!" Celestia remarked.

"It's understandable, especially after what happened to them."

Sombra…" Celestia said, "….what happened to Sonic and his friends?"

"Ahh." Sombra set down his utensil and leaned forward. "That info has been kept even from me. But, if Sonic trusts Rainbow dash and her friends, he should tell them in a few minutes."

"We also would like some answered questions about some tampered data." Luna said.

"Tails hacked them and removed the histories and identities."

Celestia blinked. "Well, that answers that problem."

"It was a simple answer. Ah, Cadence."

The sisters turned around. Cadence stood before them, wearing a black spy suit that looked like the black widows from Marvels _Avengers: Age of Ultron._

Cadence walked forward and knelt.

"Oh, do get up. We have company. Your relatives are here." Sombra said.

Cadence got up, placing a radio on the table. "The audio is in place, father."

"Audio?" Celestia asked.

"Father had Cadence and I place hidden microphones all over that bat-girls' bar." The sisters looked up. Crash was laying on a guard rail for a second story balcony that overlooked the dining hall. He sat himself up and jumped off, hitting the floor with barely a then walked over and stood next to Sombra, winking at Sweetie belle with a smirk on his face.

Celestia noticed Sweetie Belle tense up at the sight of Button Mash.

"Good. Then all the audio should be ready. We'll start hearing it as soon as he starts telling. I know about as much as you do about this subject, my dear princesses, so don't think of it if I'm surprised. I don't know what happened in the time frame of when they disappeared and when they came to me." Sombra said.

The radio made a crackling sound, and the audio began.

 ** _At the bar_** _._

Sonic sat across from the mane six and the freedom fighters. Other then they themselves, the bar was empty.

"So what do you want to know?" He asked.

"How about everything that's happened since we had last seen you?" Dash said.

Sonic sighed. "I guess that's the best time to begin. But before that, are any of you recording this?"

The mane six and the freedom fighters looked at each other.

"No? Okay then."

Sonic then began.

 _Flashback._

 **Sonic's pov. (The parts that aren't in quotation marks are the parts where sonic is talking in present time.)**

It all began after we had left to visit Knothole. We had been meeting up in the everfree forest so we could go through the checklist and what we would do when we got there. I had been the last to get there.

I had just entered the forest. "Okay guys, I'm here." I said.

I waited for a few seconds. "Guys? Where are you?"

I heard a rustling in the bush behind me. I turned around. "Guys?"

Suddenly, before I had any time to react, a knife flew out, slashing my left eye. Out of reflex, my hands flew up to the eye to try and stop the bleeding, but then an energy blast flew out, vaporizing my right arm. I howled in pain and fell to the ground. I managed to look at the assailants with my good eye. It was none other than Scourge and Monkey Khan, two of Robotnick's generals. Scourge smirked.

"Hey, fucko." He then booted me in the face, knocking me out.

When I woke up, I was strapped to a table. Robotnick stood over me, grinning evilly.

"Ah, hedgehog, you're awake. You're nap time isn't over yet." He clicked his tongue and stuck a syringe in my neck. I dozed off.

We I woke up, I didn't remember anything. I only had one objective in my mind: to obey Robotnick.

Robotnick sent us on a rampage through parts of his country, killing all who could be part of rebellion. We would bring back survivors, only for us to kill them one at a time. It went on that way, until one fateful day. One that continues to haunt me.

 **Regular POV.**

 _Present time._

Sonic stopped talking, looking down and grimacing.

Dash looked at the others then back at him.

"What happened that day, Sonic?"

Sonic looked up. "He…" he took a shaky breath."…he made me kill Amy."

Dash's eyes widened. She looked at the others. All of them had shocked looks on their faces.

Over in the crystal empire, Celestia and Luna's eyes widened. Sombra folded his hands and closed his eyes. Cadence bowed her head and folded her arms. Crash frowned, his fist shaking slightly. The CM looked away, trying to force down the gasps and feelings of shock

Sonic took a deep breath and continued.

 _Flashback_

 **Sonic's POV**

As I stood over Amy's corpse, something changed. It felt like a piercing headache. I stumbled back. My memories had returned for only a moment, but that was enough to confuse me. From what I learned later on, that was about the time Starlight glimmer messed around with the timeline and when Twilight fixed it. That wouldn't take up any normal time, so it makes sense.

"Horsemen #7, is something wrong?" Robotnick's voice came over the loudspeaker

"I shook my head and straightened up. "No, sir. No problems."

"Good. Return to your room."

I did as he said. I felt woozy. My mind kept on flashing, resurfacing memories for only a moment. I managed to enter my room and get in bed.

That night, I kept tossing and turning. I couldn't remember her name, but the girl's scream kept resurfacing. I suddenly remembered her name. I sat up.

"Amy?"

As soon as I said that name, all the memories came rushing back. My head suddenly felt whole for the first time in months. I got up and exited my room, at the exact same time the others did, conveniently enough. We looked at each other, and, seemingly reading each other's minds, found our weapons then left. You know what happened from there.

 _Present day_

 **Regular POV.**

"So that's my story." Sonic said. "That's why I'm like this now. Why I do what I do."

The two groups looked at each other.

"What happens now is your decision." Sonic leaned forward. 'Will you still deny the fact that I've changed, or will you accept it and move on to the more important matters?"

Back in the Crystal empire, the audio recordings ended. Sombra cleared his throat.

"Well, that certainly answers a few things."


	12. Chapter 12

FAE 12

The CMC were in their guest apartment in the crystal empires castle.

"Ahh. I could get used to this." Scootaloo said, lying down flat on one of the four beds in the room.

"I agree with you there, Scoots. Having a friend whose boyfriend is one of the King's sons has its advantages." Diamond said.

"HEY!" Sweetie belle said, blushing profusely. The others laughed.

"Relax, we're just messing with you." DT said.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Ah'll get it." Applebloom went to the door.

There, in the doorway, stood none other than Crash.

"Oh! Crash! What do you…?"

"Sombra wants you, the mane six, and the freedom fighters to get the tour. Cadence and I will be the tour guides." Crash said.

The CMC looked at him.

"It starts now, so come on." With that he walked off.

The CMC looked at each other.

"Well, we might as well get the tour." Scootaloo said. They rushed off after him.

Crash lead them to a big doorway. Waiting for them there were Cadence, The mane six, and the freedom fighters.

"Crash, what's this-?"

"This is where the magic happens. This is the headquarters for all operations. This…" Crash smirked."….is where the fun is."

The group walked in through the doors, then down a long hallway. They stopped at a big window that showed a laboratory. Inside the room was Tails. He was hunched down at a table parallel to the group's position, busily working on something that involved electric wires, goggles, and a gasmask. He also wore a long white hooded lab coat. In front of him sat two circuit boards, on a parallel circuit, the other a series circuit.

"This is our main laboratory, the place where our weapons, biological or mechanical, are developed. The person in there is none other than our kingdoms main scientist and weapons manufacturer."

Tails flipped two switches. The series circuit short circuited, while the parallel circuit mode a small _boom!_ Smoke rose from the shattered lightbulb that had been in the parallel circuit. Tails began muttering, but Twilight simply cast a spell that bent soundwaves so she and the rest of the group could hear what he was saying.

"Test #15, voltage was at 30000 V, resistance was at 30 ohms, current was at 100 amps. Series circuit blew a fuse, parallel circuit did as expected. Increase voltage and current, and decrease the resistance by tenfold."

Tails wrote down all that on a graph that was on an electronical screen before making more modifications to his newest explosive invention.

Twilight looked at Crash and Cadence, obviously wanting an explanation. Cadence sighed.

"Miles 'Tails' Prower, AKA, Plague. The youngest of the horsemen, he is an inventor, and his favorite things to invent are weapons. He specializes in chemical weapons, especially those that can spread man-made viruses, hence his codename, Plague. He's crafty, and he's the smartest Horsemen, with an IQ 5 times that of a normal human. On the field, he is also the hacker, demolitions expert, and sniper of the team, as well as the wind alchemist. He is the world's smartest individual."

Tails turned and looked at the group. He then took his attention back to his weapons. Twilight put her had on the glass and looked down. Dash put her hand on Twilights shoulder. Twilight looked at dash, grateful for the comfort.

The group continued walking down the hallway. The soon reached a balcony overlooking a big room filled with many people.

"This is our senate chamber. We are a monarchy, yes, but we also believe in democratic monarchy. The senators debate over issues, and if they're not settled, they're taken to the king himself. The king can make whatever rule he wants, but he usually goes with the majority vote from the senate." Crash said.

"Who's in charge of this?" Sally asked.

Cadence pointed down at four tables, each with a chair. The groups looked where she was pointing. There, sitting at the desks with, sitting in different positions, were silver, Manic, Shadow, and Knuckles.

"Silver Hedgehog, AKA, Famine. He is the praetor. The praetor is in charge of the whole senate, and the duties of the praetor include judge, jury, and executioner. On the field, he's the guy who causes distractions, as well as our water alchemist. He's the most powerful telepath in the kingdom."

Silver looked up at them, clearly bored out of his mind. He waved at the group before looking back at the two arguing senators.

Rarity leaned over the guard rail and looked at Silver with a sad expression on her face. Sweetie belle walked over to her sister and took her hand. Rarity smiled at sweetie belle, and Sweetie belle smiled back.

Cadence moved on. "Sitting next to him, Manic Hedgehog, AKA, Strife. Sitting next to him is Shadow Hedgehog, AKA, Fury. The two rulers of the emotional spectrum, as they call themselves, are the heads of our Special intelligence. In other words, they're spies. Manic is our earth alchemist , while Shadow is our Shadow alchemist, conveniently enough. They are the sneakiest people in the kingdom."

Pinkie pie and Fluttershy both looked down at the two. They then shook their heads sadly. They were starting to get used to seeing changes in their friends, unfortunately.

"Sitting at the end of the row is Knuckles Echidna, AKA, War. He is the head of our secret police. He keeps the citizens in line, not with fear, and also makes sure that there aren't any spies in the area. On the field, he is our human tank. He's very violent. He is also the gravity alchemist. He is the strongest man in the kingdom, possibly the planet. Notice I said possibly. There are other candidates for that title."

AJ looked away. Applebloom walked over to her, but AJ's look said, " _Don't worry about me. I'm fine."_ The group left the room.

The group soon entered a small room with a big window overlooking a large dome.

"What's this room?" Twilight asked.

"This is the control center for the training area. You've been given a special treat. Not very many people are allowed to see Deaths' training sessions."

Sonic stood in the middle of the dome.

"Sonic Hedgehog, AKA, Death, is the leader of the horsemen of apocalypse and commander-in-chief of the crystal empire army. He is the most powerful horsemen, and is the most feared. His forearms are both robotic, as well as one of his eyes. He is the kingdoms Crystal alchemist, Full-metal Alchemist, and Fire alchemist."

The lights turned off, all except for one light that shone down directly on Sonic.

"What's going on?" Sally wondered aloud.

"Wait for it." Crash said.

A figure suddenly appeared in front of Sonic, a gun in each, the two weapons directed at Sonic's face. Sonic suddenly grabbed one of the pistols by its barrel and tore it out of the figures hand before judo-flipping the attacker. Another figure showed up behind him, but Sonic turned and pulled a Bruce Lee roundhouse kick, sending the figure to the floor. Three more figures appeared, but before they had any time to do anything, Sonic punched one in the face, kneed the second in the gut, stepped of the second figures back, and spin-kicked the third figure in the face before slamming the second persons face on the floor.

"Session ended. Nice job, Bro." Crash said through the loud speakers.

The lights came back on. Sonic looked up at the control room. Dash looked down at him. One of the figures whom he'd been sparring with walked up to him and said something. Dash eyes widened. _What the hell…?_

"Is that who-" Twilight began.

"You're not seeing things, no, so I would assume that's who you think it is." Cadence said. Twilight looked back down.

"Then what the hell is Spike doing here?"


	13. Chapter 13

FAE 13

The Group, after finishing the tour off the rest of the complex, walked into the throne room. Sombra, Celestia, and Luna were all sitting around a table, discussing something.

"Ah, the mane six, the CMC, and the freedom fighters. I trust the tour was enlightening?" Sombra asked.

"Yeah…enlightening. That's _definitely_ the word I would use for it." Dash mumbled.

Twilight elbowed her in the ribs. "Sorry about that, your highness."

"No need to apologize, twilight. Seeing my horsemen again probably was a bit of a shock is all."

"You could say that." Twilight agreed. "If I may ask, why is Spike here?"

"You'll have to ask Sonic. I don't stick my nose in his business unless it concerns me or the kingdom." Sombra answered.

"Wait. Spike is here too?" Celestia asked.

"My son had many sleeper agents in and around your kingdom, my dear princesses. Cadence, Spike, and Crash were only three of them."

"Sleeper agents for what? To prepare for invasion?" Luna asked angrily.

"Nothing that severe." Sombra said, as he literally waved the question away. "He just wanted to be updated regularly on what was going on."

"Why?" Sally asked.

"Because I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

The group turned. Sonic stood at the door, leaning against a pillar and smoking a cigar.

"What have I told you about smoking cigar's in the throne room?" Sombra asked.

Sonic smirked as he crushed the cigar and engulfed it in crystal. "Apologies, father. You asked for me?"

"Yes. I want you to take the mane six and the freedom fighters somewhere and answer any questions they might have." Sombra said. "the princesses and I have things to discuss."

"Understood." Sonic walked up to the group. "Hold on tight." With that, they teleported away.

"We'll stand guard at the door." Sweetie Belle said. The CMC, plus Crash, exited the room and stood at the door.

Celestia looked back at Sombra. "You still have a lot of explaining to do."

"If you'd quit interrupting me, I'd get to do that."

The group reappeared in a giant lounge, with a bunch of seats arranged in a circle.

"The hell was that? Ah feel like ah'm gonna puke!" AJ said as she held her stomach.

"That happens. People who aren't used to shadow travel get sick the first couple of times they use it." Sonic said as he sat down.

"Then why isn't Pinkie affected?" Sonia asked.

"Because she's Pinkie Pie." Sonic said.

"Point taken." Sonia grumbled.

"You can sit down if you want." Sonic said.

The group accepted the invitations.

"So I imagine you have more questions for me?" Sonic asked.

"That would be an understatement, dear." Rarity said, as her stomach settled.

"Okay then. Fire away."

"Question one: Why did you need sleeper agents to keep an eye on us? You could have done that yourself easily." Dash said.

"There're a few reasons for that. One, I had to worry about other things that occupied much of my time, such as assassinations. Two, someone might've gotten suspicious. The list goes on and on, but those are the main reasons."

"How many sleeper agents are in equestia?" Twilight asked.

"9 or 10."

"Do we know any of them?"

"Flash century, Soarin, Big mac, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Dr. Hooves. You already know about Spike."

AJ arched an eyebrow. "Ah'm gonna have a talk with 'im when ah get back to the farm."

"Wait. You have sleeper agents in the wonderbolts and Celestia's royal guard?" Sally asked.

 **(Are they wonderbolts or thunderbolts? Someone tell me in the comments)**

"Why else would I only have to fight 9 or ten of them instead if all of them?"

"Point taken." Sally muttered.

"Last question." Rainbow asked.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"Why are we still here?"

Sonic smirked, leaned back, and folded his arms. "Ah. Now we get to it."

"What do you mean?" Rotor asked

"For the past few months, the horsemen have been keeping regular tabs on what remains of Robotropolis. We never managed to find Snively, and there had been reports of Robotnick's generals planning to take over."

"Let me guess. Snively's involved?" Sally asked.

"We believe so." Sonic said.

"Why am ah not surprised?" Bunnie groaned.

"Who exactly are Robotnick's generals?" Twilight asked.

"Monkey Khan, Scourge the hedgehog, the iron king, Snively, and mecha sonic."

"Somehow, that isn't surprising." Sonia muttered.

"That still doesn't answer my question, Sonic." Rainbow asked.

Sonic chuckled. "Simply enough, father was wondering if you'd be willing to help."

Sally looked at him in surprise. "Why would he ask for our help?"

Sonic chuckled. "Simple. Rouge is a master thief, a job that requires a skillset that you'd have to be a freaking ninja to master."

Rouge smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Guilty."

"Rotor is a tech genus. If he worked with tails, lord knows what they could create."

Rotor rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Sonia can cause distractions like nobody's business. She's charming, and a master at pickpocketing."

Sonia chuckled and shrugged.

"Antione is very loyal, and Is possibly the best swordsman in the Acorn kingdom."

Antione leaned back. "You flatter me, Monsieur."

"Bunnie is a master martial artist, and she can pack a southern punch made in the north."

Bunnie grinned and looked at her arm "Very accurate, sugah-hog."

"Sally is a leader, a master strategist, and she knows how to keep her cool off and on the battlefield."

Sally shrugged. "I won't deny it."

"Pinkie Pie could potentially drive the entire army insane if she felt like it."

Pinkie kept bouncing around the room.

"Fluttershy can somehow talk to animals, and that would be another probable opponent for the enemy."

Fluttershy blushed and looked away, giggling,

"Rarity is very freaking scary when she's on the warpath, and she will go nuts when she see's the enemies outfit."

Rarity arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Twilight is the best magician in Equestria."

"I wouldn't say the best, but one of them, definitely." Twilight said.

"AJ is a freaking cowboy, and she's got the guns to prove it.."

AJ arched an eyebrow. "How'd ya know about mah-?"

"Sleeper agent is your brother, remember?"

"That's it, when ah get home, I kicking Big Mac to the curb."

"And Rainbow Dash…" Sonic looked at her. "…Rainbow dash is an excellent Hit-and-Runner."

"I learned from the Best." She said, popping her knuckles.

"Yes, it's true that you're still rough around the edges." Sonic said. "But, given time, and proper training, each of you could find some untapped potential. That is, of course, if you're willing to help?"

The 12 looked at each other. Sally looked back at Sonic. "When do we start?"


	14. Update

Hey guys! I'm back! Now, I know it's been a really long time, but I've had a writer's block, and I got busy with other projects. But I'm happy to say that I'm back and continuing to work on this story. Just letting y'all know See Y'all


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